Employers require practical, work-based experience, which graduates often do not have prior to entering the workplace, so graduates often cannot gain employment owing to the lack of experience, says microjobbing platform Money for Jam (M4JAM) CEO Richard Dunn.
This chicken-and-egg problem can potentially be addressed through the use of a microjobbing system that sees business providing measureable and commercially valuable work-based experience. Graduates gain experience and companies are able to access graduates with a proven record of work, he says.
Microjobbing provides a platform for businesses to break down large projects into small tasks or ‘jobs’ that graduates can complete and be reimbursed for, merging the idea of on-demand services in business with the concept of ‘jobs on demand’ for those who need them most.
“However, beyond providing a short-term financial solution, microjobbing can address the need for skills development because microlearning fits well with the microjobbing model,” he avers.
Microlearning is a modular delivery approach to elearning, where content is structured into a series of short, concise and dynamic lessons often in the form of a video, infographic or other rich media delivered by means of a mobile device. Each is a complete learning experience while also supporting a greater learning sequence.
“Importantly, just as microjobbing taps into the mobile technology boom by providing work that can be done whenever and wherever, microlearning enables people to access digital, educational content via their mobile devices.
“This makes it particularly effective for engaging with millennials who are already accustomed to interacting with mobile devices – and mobile penetration across Africa continues to increase. Microlearning also reduces the time and resources needed for training a much larger group of individuals, while offering learners convenience and flexibility to fit in their training whenever and wherever they can – depending on what they need and when they have time,” says Dunn.
Microjobbing, therefore, has the dual role of providing a source of income for those who are unemployed or underemployed, as well as acting as a platform for microlearning to potentially uplift these individuals so that they can find employment or even try their hands at entrepreneurship.
“Matching skills development with economic opportunity is crucial as one cannot exist without the other. Finding new and sustainable ways to increase the pool of skilled workers using a medium they understand is an essential part of enabling growth. Therefore, microjobbing, with its potential to help make ends meet and drive skills development, can have a significant beneficial impact on the economy.”